William



WILLIAM N. WHITELEY, OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO.

Letters Patent No. 81,044, datecLAugust 11, 1868.,

IMPRUVEMNT IN HARVESTER-GUTTERS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CON CERN Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. WHITELEY, of Springfield, in the county of Clark, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Pitman-Connections, die., for Harvesters Cutting-Apparatus; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the seme, reference being had to' the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view oi' the pitman detached.

Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe pitman and a part of the cutter-bar.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan of the tightening-nut.

That others may understand this construction and operatioin' will particularly' describe it.

A is the pitznan, made forked at its lower end, so as to enclose the heel of the cutter-bar between its two parts B B, as shown in iig. 2. These two branches may be attached to themain rod of the pitman in any convenient way, by forging, welding, or by rivets or screws. The pivots, forming the joint betweenthe pitman A and the cutter-bar E, are madein the form of conical, conoidal, or spherical lugs, ,C C, projecting into seats or cavities ofeorresponding form and size. These lugsmay project from the heel of the cutter-bar E into seats made in the inner surfaces of the branches B B, or they may project from said branches into seats formed in the hel ofthe cutter-bar. The latter mode of construotion'is shown in the drawings.

The advantage ofajoint of the construction is well known. It admits of being maintained in proper, snug working-order constantly, without slack or lost motion, and thereby is made much less noisy and much more i durable. But it is evident that this result cannot be attained unless some device is employed to retain the branches B at a fixed relative distance, and to permit their ready adjustment at the proper distance. The bolt F, with a screw-nut, has hitherto been employed for this purpose, but it has b'een found that the violent movement of a harvesters pitman would cause the nut to work back upon the bolt and loosen the joint, and that vsaid nut would frequently work entirely off the bolt. To obviate this danger, the nut has been made with a ratchet on its edge, and a spring-paul or stop secured to the outside of the pitman with its free end engaging with said ratchet. i p

The position of a spring-paul entire outside of the pitman renders it costantly liable to derangemcnt and displacement by accumulations ci' clogging matter or aecidcntalcontaet with foreign substances. I have, therefore, placed the ratchet on the bottom or under surface `of my nut G, as shown in the drawings, and the springstop H, I place between tho branches B B, and project its free end through an orifice made for that purpose in one of the branches. Thefspring-stop II may be in the form of a, flat spring, as shown in iig. l, or it may be aspiral springcs in iig. 2, coiled around the bolt F. In the latter form it will be not onlyr very cheap, but it will also be less liable to dcrangcincnt and injury than when made in any other form. I, however, do not wish to iimit myself to anyparticular form of stop furthertlian thc limitation oiits position. `The shank of the bolt F, near its houd, must be made square, or otherwise prevented fromvturniug in its hole, as any rotary moveinout on its anis would uecessurily impair the action of the spring-stop and ratchet-nut.

Tho spiral spring ooiied about the bolt F may perform the double function of pressing the branches asunder, v

so as to insure their constant pressure against the lower tace of thenut, und engaging with tile ratchet of said nut to hold it in pince.

When the joint of tlic cutter-bur and pitinan is made in line with the cutter-bar, it is not in the line oi' action and resistance of the cutter, because that liuc will be about nlidwny i'rorn the points to the heel of the cutter, and there will therefore be more or less side draught to the cutters, resulting in au increase of friction on the cutter-bai', and a 'greater consumption of power. The position of the line of draught will never be exactly midway Vbetween the front and heel of' the cutters, but some distance in rear of said position, because the-friction 'of the cutter-bar in its guide-way will be a constant resistance, counterbalaucing, more or less, the resistance o f the grass against the cutters, aud their effects do not depend at all upon thc construction of the joint between the cutter-bar and pit-man. I have, therefore, curved the heel of iny cutter-bar E sideways, as shown real lino of draught'. The actuai position in iig. 2, so as to bring the pitman-joint as nearly as possible into the the resistance experienced by the cutters of the line of draught wiii be subjectto constant variation', becaftrse will constantly vary as the gross is thick `or thin,

1. The cutter-bm- E, bent forward at its inner end, substantially as and for the purpose sot forth.

`2'. Spring, located between the branches of the Pitman, and with one of its ends extending through one of said branches so as to engage with the ratchet of the nut G, substantially as set forth.

3. A sp1-ing, located between the branches of the pitman, :md shaped and secured so as to press the said branches asunder, and at the same time penetrate through the properhoie in one of said branehesinnd engage with the ratchet of the nut G, substantially as set forth.

` WM. N. WHITELEY.

Hoving described my invention,

Witnesses:

G'Eo. W. BENNS, D. I. JEFFERIES. 

